The gay-KKK connection

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, May 20, 1998

THE LATEST inanity in the GOP fight to quash the nomination of James Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg is a comparison of the San Francisco philanthropist to white supremacist David Duke.

Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma this week equated Hormel, who is gay, with the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard.

Hormel "has made statements that have convinced me and others that he's much more concerned about his own gay agenda than he is in representing the interests of the United States. . . .," Inhofe said in an interview Monday with Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper. He added that Hormel "has his own agenda. I would feel the same way if it were David Duke or anyone else whose agenda is more important than the country."

In fact, Hormel has vowed to leave his advocacy of gay causes at home if he is allowed to serve his country. And in fact, James Hormel and David Duke (and James Inhofe) have virtually nothing in common except that they are white males.

The Klan represents a brand of terrorism steeped in racism and the denial of fundamental human rights. Hormel has given support to a movement to secure basic rights and tolerance for all people regardless of their sexual orientation. There's not a bigoted bone in his body.

Elite runners start the first wave of Bay to Breakers 2018San Francisco Chronicle

Coyote trots around Golden Gate parkTed Andersen, SFGATE

Hormel's nomination was approved 16-2 in November by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Jesse Helms. But ever since, Republicans have kept it from coming to a vote on the Senate floor. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Hormel backer, says she has nearly enough votes to bring the nomination to the floor.

President Clinton has continued to support the nominee.

Inhofe's remarks make "it more clear than ever," a White House spokesman said Monday, "that Hormel is being blocked only because he is gay and only by those who have the most extreme agendas."

Republican hatchet men can't hide behind the "family values" charade.

In a column that ran last month on The Examiner's Opinion Page, James Hormel Jr. wrote, "Those who oppose my father's nomination on the premise that sexual orientation affects "family values" are not familiar with the strength of our family. While I was growing up, my father never tried to influence my sexuality in any way. What he did teach me was kindness, acceptance of others, honesty, self-esteem and standing up for what you believe."

Inhofe knows better than to pair Hormel with David Duke. It's a cheap trick - and one that could boomerang. Inhofe should hope some bigot doesn't decide to wage a jihad against middle-aged white male legislators from the OK state.

If Inhofe and his GOP colleagues want to show they really believe in God, motherhood and apple pie, they'll push Hormel's nomination to the Senate floor and vote him in as ambassador. The American way is fairness.&lt;